See you later, Serious

Yesterday, I needed a break.

I finished testing, closed my computer, and took advantage of a refreshing mid-morning jog on the canal.

30 minutes of exercise and it all made sense again.  I needed a little perspective.  

I tend to take things too seriously.  Surprise!  :)  This week has been extra daunting with every task seeming overwhelmingly momentous.  When I find myself getting caught up in an attempt to make it all perfect, I begin to lose most of the joy that's there to experience.

I place high expectations on myself as a wife and a mom, and sometimes I just need to “lighten up.” Wills doesn't always have to be on a strict schedule. If we are at the zoo next weekend for an early birthday celebration, and he’s fascinated with the allure of the giraffes, do we really need to rush out for nap time? No.

Do we always have to hurry in an effort to complete our to-do list?  Hell no.  The truth.  There's going to be another to-do list tomorrow.  Why not let him try for 15 minutes to put on his own shoes, or study every detail of his train set while we need to be cleaning up, or eat his frozen yogurt ever so slowly while the clock is ticking to our next appointment and nap-time is looming.

If Wills doesn't eat a vegetable for two WHOLE days in a row, should we deem it a parenting disaster?  I know. I know.  I'm embarrassed.

If I don’t meet every soft deadline with work, it’s okay. That’s why they’re “soft” deadlines. Sometimes a long conversation encouraging a student or parent is more important than that lingering spreadsheet.

If I’m administering high school graduation tests all week and don’t make it to the studio or practice yoga once, it’s fine. It doesn't mean I’m a bad yogi, or I’ll never fly into crow.

William gets so frustrated with me when I try to make rigid plans around everything from our weekly menu to our vacations.  Can you tell I haven't practiced yoga all week?  My mind is all over the place.

I'm missing moments of beauty; moments of bliss; moments of joy because I'm letting perfection and seriousness lead the way.  My new mantra: relax into the moment; release serious; experience joy.  Right now! I repeated this over and over while jogging.

My husband finally walked in the door after a week working out of town, and I immediately opened my new elephant journal subscription and found this.

Coincidence?  I think not.

It's time to get playful, laugh until our sides hurt, kiss in the pouring rain right after getting dressed up for dinner, sing (terribly) and dance to beach music, bake Christmas cookies in September, go to bed too late, break a few rules, take a last minute road trip without packing every "necessity", and eat ice-cream for dinner.  This serious stuff has got to go!

Cheers to a relaxing, laid-back, and fun weekend!

Someone else is ready for a run.  Hey, go for it sweet boy; it's good for the soul!  Maybe you should put some shorts on first...or not.  That would take all the fun away!  :)

What I ate Wednesday

My mom came over and drank coffee with me this morning.  I love this time with her!  We talked about baby showers, Wills' birthday party, beach plans, and such.

I snacked on homemade granola bars for breakfast.  I saved my apple for a mid-morning snack.

Lunch was a grilled gouda, avocado, and tomato sandwich on Ezekial sprouted bread.  Sorry; I forgot to take a picture. 

My favorite afternoon snack!  There is NOTHING like Shakeology to push me through that afternoon slump when I feel a power nap is necessary.  

I added chia seeds for an extra punch.   

Perfect.

I've been excited to make this salmon dish for a while now.  Our friend, Suzie, prepared it for a large group of us in Beaufort, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since then.  After bedtime for my Wills, I called her for the recipe, gathered my ingredients, and escaped for some me time in the kitchen.

I improvised with the amounts, since I was only preparing one piece of Wild Salmon instead of the massive amount they prepared for all of us.   Suzie says you can use this marinade on anything.  The good news, other than the fresh ginger, I had all of the ingredients already.  Score!

I melted all of the above ingredients together in a sauce pan. 

Marinated the salmon for 45 min to an hour.  The longer the better.

And then baked it on 425 degrees for about 20 minutes alongside zucchini and sweet potato fries.

I cooked it a little long, but it was still the flavors I've been daydreaming about for weeks.  Sweet and a little spicy.  Thanks, Suzie, for sharing!

Smoked Gouda, Portobello and Arugula Grilled Cheese

This may be one of the most flavorful sandwiches I've ever tasted.

After putting Wills to bed Monday night, I poured myself a small glass of red wine, turned on "Elizabethtown," and started my dinner.  I'm not fond of William traveling, but I will say, those nights I do get to try new, what he would call "weird food" recipes that suit me.  Here's a few I've loved.

Pea and Prosciutto Pasta

Cheesy Spinach Shells

Pesto Pasta with Arugula and Tomato

Edamame Corn Salad

When he's home, we have more of the typical chicken or pork chop, veggie, and starch dinners we all grew up eating (with a few surprises thrown in along the way.)

I adapted this recipe from the Vegetarian magazine I browsed through at the yoga studio.

Here's what I used.

I brushed one portobello with balsamic vinaigrette and baked it on 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  I flipped it once.

I mixed up a little butter, one minced garlic clove, and dried oregano and brushed it on the outside of two slices of sprouted bread.

In a skillet I layered one slice of bread, smoked Gouda cheese, the sliced portobello from the oven, arugula and the remaining slice of bread.  I pressed it into the skillet and cooked it about four minutes on each side.

Seriously delicious, smoky, peppery, and amazing.  

"I say make time to dance alone, with one hand waving free." ~ Elizabethtown

I think I will. 

Almost Homemade Granola Bars

We eat a lot of granola bars around here.

Of course, we don’t all eat the same kind. That would be too easy, right?

Wills loves Kashi Soft and Chewy Bars and Cliff Kid Z Bars. He eats them daily.

William’s go-to breakfast every morning, while trying to feed Finn, wrap up a few last minute emails, see his little boy and his wife, and quickly get out of the door on time for work, is a Sweet and Salty granola bar. He alternates between peanut and almond.

And I eat my fair share of Kind Bars and Larabars. Blueberry Muffin being my favorite.

Wills refers to all of these granola bars with a different name. He calls Larabars and Sweet and Salty Bars “Mommy Bars” and “Daddy Bars”  Original, huh? :)  He did get a little more creative and calls his Cliff Bars “Boy Bars.” This is because there is a little boy riding a skate board on the front of the package. 

Okay, moving on. I decided to make some granola bars. Even if I’m the only one that eats them, and the boys stick to their tried and true “Daddy Bars” and “Boy Bars” our grocery budget could use a few less Larabars.

Here’s what I used. I found the recipe in my Health Magazine in an article featuring Dr. Oz and a 5-Day High Energy Plan.

I mixed 2 cups of oats, 3/4 cup of walnuts, and 3/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds.  I toasted them on 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Then mixed together 1/2 cup of raw honey, 1/2 tsp of Vanilla, and 2 tsp of olive oil.

All folded together with 3/4 cup of cranberries.

I lined the pan with tinfoil, lightly sprayed it with olive oil cooking spray, patted it down with a spatula, and baked it for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

Wills and I headed to the canal for a short walk while our granola bars cooled.

Then in an attempt to transfer them to the cutting board and begin slicing into 2 inch squares, this happened.

You can't win them all, I guess.

I'm not really sure what went wrong.  But this is all that even resembled a granola bar.  Maybe a little peanut butter would hold them together?

Granola bars turned into simple granola.  It tasted delicious and will be the perfect topping to Greek yogurt.

And this little boy couldn't keep his hand out of the bag.

I'll call that a success.

But, don't count me out on homemade granola bars just yet.  You will see this attempt again. :)

Love this Space

Quiet. Only The Avett Brothers. Preparing for class. Coffee. Praying. In this moment. Connected to love. Blissful. 

What I ate Wednesday

30 days of consecutive Shakeology is underway.  I've gotten out of the routine of having it everyday, and I am ready to up my nutrition and energy.  Most days, I plan on having a shake for a snack, but today was one of those mornings I needed something quick and ready to go.  I dropped Wills off for his first day of Mother's Day Out, taught a 10:15 yoga class, and headed across the street to Earth Fare to work and have coffee with a girlfriend.

Breakfast was chocolate shakeology mixed with 1/2 cup of almond milk, 3/4 cup of chilled coffee, a frozen banana, and a Tablespoon of sunflower seed butter.

Lunch was a grilled chicken arugula and spinach salad with chicken left over from the night before.  I added strawberries, avocado, and smoked almonds.

Wills hosted his very own dinner party of dinosaur chicken nuggets, green beans, and Annie's shells and cheese.

Bethany, Anna, and I enjoyed a glass of wine and snacked on crackers, hummus and cheese while the kids ate and played.

Dinner was shrimp tacos for her, steak fajitas for him.

Served in corn shells with fresh salsa, avocado, and plain Greek yogurt.

Getting Away

Sometimes a weekend away is just what we need; it's good for the soul.  When we are home, there is always grass to cut, projects to complete, errands to run, cleaning to do, and a to-do list that never ends.  Thus is life.  When we get to Beaufort, we truly escape those every day tasks, and for a few days, do whatever we want to do.

Wills is always up for the new adventures.  This was his first time golfing with his daddy, and they both loved every second of it!

For hours, he played on the beach with his friend, Law.

Sunday night was deemed Rib-eye night.  Thankfully, Tony prepared me a delicious grilled portobello mushroom with blue cheese crumbles, tomato and fresh basil.  I will be making this again!

More adventures with the horses!

Pure bliss.

“But is it such a bad thing to live like this for just a little while? Just for a few months of one's life, is it so awful to travel through time with no greater ambition than to find the next lovely meal? Or to learn how to speak a language for no higher purpose than that it pleases your ear to hear it? Or to nap in a garden, in a patch of sunlight, in the middle of the day, right next to your favorite fountain? And then to do it again the next day?” ~Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

Until next time, Beaufort, know that we are thinking of you.